Condemned - Recap

Major Sheppard, Teyla, McKay and Ronon arrive on a new planet, and discover the Stargate is located on an island set aside for the planet’s worst criminals. They land their puddle jumper and are confronted by the criminals, but they are then rescued by the planet’s security force.

The team is then taken to met the planet’s government leader, known as the “Magistrate.” The team, after receiving a warm welcome from the Magistrate, begins to discuss the possibility of a trade deal with the planet.

The team learns that the planet has progressed for generations without interference from the Wraith. The planet has become very advanced during this period, and the team is interested in learning about the planet’s technology. However, the team learns the Wraith do cull the planet, but they restrict their culling to the prison island.

As the team heads back to Atlantis, via the prison island stargate, their puddle jumper is knocked out of the sky by missiles fired by the criminals. The leader of the prisoners forces McKay to fix the damaged puddle jumper by threatening to kill the other members of the Atlantis team.

One member of the prisoners, who designed the weapons that shot the team down, decides to help the team escape, if they agree to take him with them.

Dr. Weir, upon learning about the team not returning, leads a second team to the planet to locate them.

It’s at this point we learn that the planet has made an arrangement with a certain Wraith leader that has kept the planet safe from Wraith culling by supplying this Wraith with prisoners, for feeding. Unfortunately, the Wraith tells the Magistrate that the Wraith awakening has increased the need for their feeding. The volume of prisoners on the island will need to be increased at whatever cost.

Sheppard and his team are finally able to escape with the help of the disaffected prisoner. It’s good timing, as a Wraith ship arrives to begin the next culling. McKay is able to repair the puddle jumper enough to get its weapons to work, and they drive off the attacking Wraith ship, even though more are on the way.

The leader of the prisoners, while attempting to commandeer the puddle jumper, sees the Wraith attack, and agrees cease his attack when Sheppard offers to let the prisoners escape to another planet through the Stargate.

The prisoners make their escape to another planet, Sheppard and his team escape back to Atlantis, Dr. Weir and her team also returns to Atlantis, and the Wraith wind up culling the remaining people left on the planet.